After much speculation following multiple titles being buzzed about for the win, the top three winners for the 2024 TIFF People’s Choice Winners were The Life of Chuck directed by Mike Flanagan, Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard, and Anora directed by Sean Baker.

The Life of Chuck, taking the number one spot, echoes the passion that allowed Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction to ride the wave to Oscars success last year over more awards-baity titles. Flanagan has never been nominated for an Oscar and typically sticks in the horror genre. But with the on-the-ground passion you could feel for this film at the festival among festival-goers and the many tears shed, it may be foolish to bet against Flanagan this year. This film’s tone is much more in line with Stephen King adaptations like Stand By Me, which was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1987.

Emilia Pérez’s placing was not much of a surprise after the level of hype from festival-goers. The film takes some wild swings as a genre-bending musical, which has led to a range of critical opinions over its depiction of the lead trans character. Clearly, the swings paid off. After the three lead actresses all shared the Best Actress prize at Cannes, it’s not difficult to imagine this film being a serious contender in multiple categories. The people who love this movie really love it.

After winning the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Anora nailing down third place means another tick next to its asterisk on the way to awards season. The prospect of Baker’s chaotic dark comedy placing didn’t seem too far-fetched based on the buzz but it’s worth noting that Anora is only the second movie ever to win the Palme d’Or and place at TIFF. It’s in good company with Parasite (2019).

Other films widely predicted online but didn’t ultimately make it in include The Wild Robot, Unstoppable and We Live in Time. Perhaps the most shocking omission was Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night which seemed ripe for TIFF audiences. An audience-friendly and star-studded cast missing out at TIFF could mean an early red flag for the film’s ultimate awards potential.

During the award ceremony, winners in other categories were announced as well. For the top Midnight Madness award, director Coralie Fargeat’s much-talked-about body horror satire The Substance won the coveted prize as many expected. Some wondered if it could even make its way to the People’s Choice category. The two Midnight Madness runner-ups were Dead Talents Society, a Taiwanese horror comedy, and Friendship, another run at cringe comedy from Tim Robinson.

As for the People’s Choice Documentary Award, the four-part series The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal won the top award while Will & Harper about trans-SNL star Harper Steele and Your Tomorrow directed by Ali Weinstein were the runner-ups.

The Platform Prize was juried by Jane Schoenbrun, Atom Egoyan, and Hur Jin-ho. Out of the 10 films they selected, the ultimate prize was given to They Will Be Dust directed by Carlos Marqués-Marcet. The jury also gave a special shoutout to lead actress Sylvia Chang from Daughter’s Daughter.

Article Courtesy of Matt Minton

Feature Image Credit ‘Anora’ via NEON